Unless my memory fails me, I believe the Impact’s performance against the Columbus Crew last Saturday at Saputo Stadium was the team’s best this year.

To a man, the Impact played a complete game and deserved to win 2-0. Forward Ignacio Piatti stood the tallest, as his two goals held up to earn his new team three points. It’s too bad only 16,000 fans were on hand to witness the team and Piatti’s heroics — the overall display deserved to be viewed by a full house.

Here are my pros and cons from that impressive victory as the Impact gets ready to face the Dynamo Saturday night in Houston (8:30 p.m., TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690).

Pro: Piatti’s numbers against Columbus read like this: 50 per cent of his team’s 10 shots at goal; 100 per cent of the team’s four shots on target; two goals. It was really just a matter of time before the new boy found the back of the net. His recent inclusion in the squad has lifted the entire team and, to some extent, the organization. Piatti has been like a breath of fresh air. His first goal in the 40th minute highlighted his soccer intelligence and technical ability. Let’s first give credit to Felipe, who began the sequence with a terrific defensive play at the halfway line, which sprayed the ball to Piatti. The Argentine then ran at the back line, dismissing all three defenders he faced before slotting his left-foot shot to the far-side netting. An effort worthy of consideration for MLS Goal of the Week. Piatti’s second goal was opportunistic, yet far from a tap-in. He displayed quick feet, patience in possession in tight spaces and finishing ability. From what we’ve seen in three MLS matches, Impact fans could not have asked for more from Piatti.

Con: The Impact has been guilty of self destructing too many times this season, and showed signs of doing so against the Crew. In the 17th minute, captain Patrice Bernier was uncharacteristically careless in possession in his defensive third of the pitch and was easily dispossessed. It led to a quick Columbus counter and forced goalkeeper Evan Bush into a save. In the 64th minute, and with the Impact leading 1-0, defender Hassoun Camara picked up his league-leading ninth yellow card — and it could have been a straight red. Camara slid sideways with his studs up to challenge Crew star Federico Higuain just outside Montreal’s penalty box and was most fortunate referee Juan Guzman didn’t judge the play differently. However, MLS didn’t let Camara off the hook, with the league suspending the defender for one game and fining him an undisclosed amount for a serious foul.

Pro: The Impact played with the energy and organization needed to be effective from a defensive standpoint. Marco Di Vaio and Piatti started with pressure up top and the midfield four were excellent closing spaces and making challenges to disrupt Columbus’s offensive flow — specifically on the Crew’s danger man, Higuain. When the Crew did break through, Montreal’s back four was on spot to deal with the danger. It was easily the Impact’s best defensive display this season.

Con: Camara getting booked wasn’t the only repeat pattern on the night. When Felipe went to ground in the 47th minute, pleading to the referee for a call, I shook my head in disappointment. I’d seen this script before. Even if Columbus full back Waylon Francis did get a hand on Felipe as he ran past him, there was certainly not enough contact for the Brazilian to go to ground that easily. Referee Guzman thought as much, and I tend to think the league is also aware of Felipe’s diving reputation. Matteo Ferrari was also involved in a repeat incident, which took place in the 75th minute on the nearest edge of Montreal’s penalty box. Ferrari was caught out on the play — an observation made quite often this season — and recovered enough only to make a hard body tackle on Columbus substitute Aaron Schoenfeld. One more yard or one more second later and that would have been a game-changing penalty. And there is a pattern developing with goalkeeper Bush. His indecisiveness in possession of the ball nearly got him in trouble in recent games and got him booked this time around. Bush had no intention of delaying the game, yet got booked in the 70th minute for exactly that. The American goalkeeper simply did not decide quick enough whether to send the goal kick long or to play it short from the back. He who hesitates ...

Pro: Montreal has been terrible defending set pieces this season, but in the 76th minute we saw a clear indication that the issue has at least been addressed. With the Crew’s skilled free-kick specialist Higuain over the ball on the edge of the Impact’s penalty area, Felipe left his central-zonal marking position and sprinted to protect the near post just as Higuain approached the ball. It worked. Felipe cleared the goal-bound free kick. Impact coach Frank Klopas and his staff had done their homework, put the plan in place and it worked to perfection. In may ways, that play summed up the day for Montreal and inadvertently provided an optimistic glimpse of what could be with this team.

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